Back in late January, we found ourselves skulking around a quiet corner of

Cliffside Park, New Jersey. We were scoping out an Italian restaurant, a

classically influenced structure that seemed to jut into a brown brick

building with large windows. Within the restaurant's plastic enclosed entrance,

a mainstay of eateries during the pandemic, lights glowed warm and orange.

Peering through the glass, we could see patrons seated in the elegant dining space.

We felt a bit awkward sneaking around outside the restaurant at twilight.

An irrational thought even came to mind. Could this business still have ties to

dangerous and powerful men? And would they appreciate seeing us spying? As we drove off to grab a bite

to eat at the nearby Burger King, the Italian restaurant's menu was a bit out of our budget.

We joked about being followed home. But of course, any anxiety was unjustified.

It was just a little restaurant with a dark history. It was easy to imagine what the place

looked like back in the 1950s. The chic little restaurant's long history goes back to 1926.

Now it sits across the way from a high end apartment complex. But until 1971,

the Palisade's amusement park stood across the street. Full of roller coasters and fun,

the place became one of the most visited amusement parks in the country.

And after a day of laughs there, families would often make a quick stop for a bite at what was

then called Joe's Restaurant. In the mid-40s, they added a small cocktail lounge to the main dining

room. They called it Joe's elbow room and gave it its own dedicated entrance so women and kids

wouldn't have to walk through it on the way to the main restaurant.

Willie Moretti went there with some associates on the morning of October 4th, 1951.

And he died there. Moretti was a man with many enemies. He was a key figure in the mob,

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